Lice (pronounced [ˈlidʒe]), (Kurdish: Licê,[2] Ottoman Turkish: ليجه,[3]) is a municipality and district of Diyarbakır Province, Turkey.[4] Its area is 982 km2,[5] and its population is 24,364 (2022).[1] It is located 90 km (56 mi) from the capital, Diyarbakır. Its population is Kurdish.[6] In the local elections in March 2019 Tarık Mercan from the Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) was elected mayor.[7] The current District Governor is Muhammed Evlice.[8]
Lice | |
---|---|
District and municipality | |
Lice Location in Turkey | |
Coordinates: 38°27′0″N 40°39′0″E / 38.45000°N 40.65000°E | |
Country | Turkey |
Province | Diyarbakır |
Area | 982 km2 (379 sq mi) |
Population (2022)[1] | 24,364 |
• Density | 25/km2 (64/sq mi) |
Time zone | UTC+3 (TRT) |
Postal code | 21700 |
Area code | 0412 |
Website | www |
Lice was the headquarters of the 5th Army Corps of the Turkish army during the Sheikh Said rebellion in 1925[9] and it was a focal point at the beginning of the rebellion. The town was captured on the 20 February by the troops loyal to Sheikh Said.[10] The Kurdish Zirki tribe in the Lice district also supported the Sheik Said rebellion and as a reprisal, the tribes villages Çaylarbaşı, Kurlu, Alataş, Mat-bur and Çağlayan have been demolished and the residing population was killed by troops of the Turkish army.[11] It was reported that the troops of the Turkish Major Ali Haydar have wiped out the majority of the Sheikhs.[12]
On 6 September 1975, Lice was struck by an earthquake with a magnitude of Ms 6.7. Around 1.500 people were killed in Lice according to the mayor.[13]
The Kurdistan Workers' Party or PKK, was founded in the village of Fîs, in Lice district on November 27, 1978.[14]
The Lice massacre, during which the Turkish army demolished large parts of the town in reprisal of the death of an Jandarma officer, took place from October 20–23, 1993.[15]
Between 2018 and 2019 localities in the Lice district have often been targeted with curfews declared by the Turkish authorities, which wanted to execute security operations in the district.[16][17][18]
The Kurdish castle of Ataq used to exist near the modern Lice.
In 1914, 5,980 Armenians and 4,100 Assyro-Chaldeans lived in the kaza. Armenians had 24 churches, one monastery and five schools. Lice proper had 12,000 inhabitants, including 7,000 Christians (Armenians, Chaldean, Syriac Orthodox).[19] During the Armenian genocide, all males were massacred, women and children were deported and their fate is unknown.[19]
There are 70 neighbourhoods in Lice District:[20]